By: Ahuatl Amaro
Photos: Agua Dulce Productions
Workplace comedy short film is inspired by unsung physical therapy health care workers
Do you love binge watching medical dramas? Can’t get enough of workplace comedies? Ever wondered what a workplace comedy about a gay Latinx doctor would feel like? If so, do we have a film for you! The workplace comedy “Physical Therapy” about a gay Latino doctor will premiere on Saturday, April 20, 2024 at the Mexican-American Film and Television Festival at the Harmony Gold Theater in Hollywood.
The film stars Jason Genao (Netflix’s “On My Block”) in the lead role of Ronnie, a gay Doctor Physical Therapy whose life takes an unexpected turn following an innocent mistake at work. Nevertheless, the young, compassionate yet naive doctor doesn’t let the incident deter him from getting back on his feet and doing what is right when he’s faced with an ultimate: keeping his unstable job working with low-income communities or taking a job at a private practice for kids of the mega-rich.
“Doctors of physical therapy are transforming the lives of young kids everyday in the US and beyond,” said Jason Genao. “They work incredibly hard to create a brighter future for kids living with physical disabilities. Our heartwarming short film ‘Physical Therapy’ is an ode to them.”
“Physical Therapy” also features Aidan Gutierrez portraying the role of Leonard, a child with cerebral palsy, Sonia Balcazar (“Addicted to You”) as Leonard’s mother, and Paloma Esparza Rabinov (“Physical,” “American Gigolo,” “The Lincoln Lawyer”) as Sylvia – an executive at a physical rehabilitation center.
“Physical Therapy celebrates the lives of brown, Latinx and LGBTQ health care and physiotherapy workers whose stories are essentially invisible in Hollywood,” said Ahuatl Amaro, writer and director of “Physical Therapy.” “We’re thrilled to share our film with the world and excited about the many films Agua Dulce Productions is producing with Indigenous, Latinx, and LGBTQ leads.”
The film is produced by Brian Bonilla and Jason Genao, executive produced by Ahuatl Amaro and Arianne Garcia, and co-produced by the Wesley Health Centers with associate producers Matan Alter (“Homemade”) and Andrés H. Martínez. The film’s cinematographer is Daniel Miramontes (“Warehouse”), editor is Joe Murphy (“Dosh,” “Mis-Alignment”), production designer is Vidhisha Mahesh (“Fatherhood”), and music composer is Sean Segal (“Heels,” “Sebastian Maniscalco: Is it Me?”). The film was shot in Southern California with support from the California Physical Therapy Association (CPTA), the Latino Equality Alliance, and the City of Bell Gardens.
“This short film will give folks a glimpse into the challenges patients and physical therapists of diverse backgrounds experience on a daily basis,” said Oscar Gallardo, DPT, who teaches and trains future doctors of physical therapy at the University of Southern California (USC). “Although the story is completely fictional, it will hopefully inspire future generations to pursue a career in physical therapy. Today, less than seven percent of physical therapists in the US are Latinos. We envision a future where representation in the field more closely resembles the population makeup of this country.”
Amaro is a queer, Latinx-Indigenous writer and director born and raised in Los Angeles. His previous film “Warehouse” (about four LGBTQ warehouse workers) was selected by the 2023 San Diego Latino Film Festival, Boston’s Wicked Queer, OUTShine Fort Lauderdale, Queer Voices New York City, New Filmmakers Los Angeles, New Orleans Queer Film Night, and Trans Fest Stockholm (Sweden) among others.
“We need to see more people that look like us on film, television, and in the arts,” said Marco Barcena, Mayor Pro-Tem of the City of Bell Gardens. “We are proud to support Southeast Los Angeles filmmakers working tirelessly to uplift the stories of everyday people like you and I that are often glossed over by mainstream Hollywood. We encourage everyone to attend the film’s premiere and keep an eye out for the short’s online streaming premiere.”
Amaro is currently in pre-production for a gay sports comedy titled “Mean Goals,” about a team of mean-spirited LGBTQ soccer players. A project of Film Independent, casting for “Mean Goals” is led by Victoria Huffman with Aakash Raj (Hulu’s “Four Samosas”) as the film’s director of photography. Filming for “Mean Goals” is set to begin early this summer.
“We often see doctors save their patients’ lives in procedural medical dramas on television, but rarely are those characters brown, queer Latinxs,” said Brian Bonilla, the film’s producer. “While Latinxs represent one out of every five people living in the US, we make up less than five percent of speaking roles in major Hollywood films. We at Agua Dulce Productions want to change that.”
If you love watching films produced by LGBTQ Latinx filmmakers, considering making a tax-deductible donation to the upcoming film “Mean Goals” at: www.filmindependent.org/sponsored-projects/mean-goals/